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Kinetic study of the anaerobic biodegradation of alkyl polyglucosides and the influence of their structural parameters

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Abstract

This paper reports a study of the anaerobic biodegradation of non-ionic surfactants alkyl polyglucosides applying the method by measurement of the biogas production in digested sludge. Three alkyl polyglucosides with different length alkyl chain and degree of polymerization of the glucose units were tested. The influence of their structural parameters was evaluated, and the characteristics parameters of the anaerobic biodegradation were determined. Results show that alkyl polyglucosides, at the standard initial concentration of 100 mgC L−1, are not completely biodegradable in anaerobic conditions because they inhibit the biogas production. The alkyl polyglucoside having the shortest alkyl chain showed the fastest biodegradability and reached the higher percentage of final mineralization. The anaerobic process was well adjusted to a pseudo first-order equation using the carbon produced as gas during the test; also, kinetics parameters and a global rate constant for all the involved metabolic process were determined. This modeling is helpful to evaluate the biodegradation or the persistence of alkyl polyglucosides under anaerobic conditions in the environment and in the wastewater treatment.

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Acknowledgments

Francisco Ríos acknowledges the support from the University of Granada and the Research Group TEP-212: surfactants, enzymes, and emulsions, within the postdoctoral grant “Contratos Puente. Plan Propio de Investigación”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Campus Fuentenueva s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain

    Francisco Ríos, Alejandro Fernández-Arteaga, Manuela Lechuga, Encarnación Jurado & Mercedes Fernández-Serrano

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  1. Francisco Ríos
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  2. Alejandro Fernández-Arteaga
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  4. Encarnación Jurado
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  5. Mercedes Fernández-Serrano
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Correspondence to Alejandro Fernández-Arteaga.

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Responsible editor: Robert Duran

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Ríos, F., Fernández-Arteaga, A., Lechuga, M. et al. Kinetic study of the anaerobic biodegradation of alkyl polyglucosides and the influence of their structural parameters. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 8286–8293 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6129-z

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